Sif stood in the centre of the Asgardian ship, her eyes fixed on Kakashi. He leaned against ship's wall, his posture relaxed, hands tucked casually in his pockets.
Moments ago, he had single-handedly obliterated a dozen pirate ships, their wreckage now floating silently in the void of space.
His face, half-hidden by his mask, showed no trace of pride or remorse, just calm indifference. It unnerved her. 'It's as if he's used to taking lives,' she thought, her stomach twisting at the ease with which he'd ended so many lives.
Kakashi's world,was one of constant bloodshed. In his homeland, life was a currency spent freely, and death was a tool of the trade.
Kakashi had been forged in that crucible, taking lives since he was five years old. He'd fought in two great shinobi wars and countless smaller conflicts between villages.
Each battle had chipped away at his capacity to feel the weight of death. Now, at this point in his life, he was almost numb to it. Killing was as routine as breathing, a necessity he performed without hesitation or regret.
She noticed an Asgardian mage staring at Kakashi from across the bridge, a creepy smile curling the woman's lips.
Kakashi met the mage's gaze briefly, his eyes narrowing slightly before he looked away, dismissing the oddity for now. Sif frowned but said nothing, her attention drawn to the sole surviving pirate ship.
Unlike the others, it hadn't fled or fought back after Kakashi's display of power. Instead, it had surrendered, its weapons powering down as it drifted closer to the Asgardian vessel.
"Get ready to board the enemy ship," Sif ordered, her voice sharp and authoritative.
The Asgardian soldiers snapped into action, preparing to dock with the pirate vessel. As their ship maneuvered closer, the pirate ship's hatch opened, revealing a ragtag group of beings from various races, outcasts, likely, who had abandoned their home planets to become pirates. Their faces were a mix of fear and resignation as the Asgardians boarded.
Sif wasted no time. She strode toward the pirate captain, a wiry man with a scarred face and eyes that darted nervously toward Kakashi. "Why did you attack an Asgardian vessel?" she demanded.
The captain swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he answered. "We're under orders from Ronan the Accuser. He told us to attack any ships that don't belong to the Kree in this region. It's supposed to destabilize the area and hurt trade for the Nova Empire."
Sif's brow furrowed. "Who is this Ronan?" Asgard had withdrawn from galactic politics in recent years, focusing on its own realm, so the name was unfamiliar to her.
The captain's fear deepened, as if speaking the name might summon the man himself. "Among the Kree, everyone knows Ronan the Accuser. He follows the old laws, believes justice must be taken, not asked for. He carries a huge hammer called the Cosmi-Rod, which he uses to punish anyone he deems guilty. His soldiers obey without question, one mistake, and they're dead."
The captain's voice dropped lower. "Ronan doesn't answer to the Supreme Intelligence anymore. He fights for his own version of right and wipes out anyone in his way. When he shows up, people go quiet. They know judgment's coming."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, his voice dry. "Sounds like a tyrant."
Sif pressed further. "What are your other orders?"
The captain hesitated, his eyes flicking to Kakashi, who stood silently. "Ronan gave us a specific order," the man said, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid Ronan might hear him across the stars.
"We're supposed to find something called the Orb. It holds something dangerous, and Ronan wants it bad. He's paying a lot, even for just information about it." He paused, then added, "It's not just him looking for it. The Collector wants it too."
Sif's expression hardened. She knew of the Collector. "The Collector is an ancient being who gathers rare artifacts, creatures, and relics from across the cosmos," she explained to Kakashi. "He operates from a massive museum on Knowhere, where he stores his collection. He'll deal with anyone who can add to it, often through trade or manipulation."
Sif turned back to the captain. "Have you had any previous dealings with the Collector?"
The man nodded, his hands fidgeting. "Yeah… we found… a canine."
Maria, who had been listening quietly, blinked in confusion. "A canine? You mean a dog?" Her eyes widened as a realization hit her. She pulled out a small device and showed the captain a photo. "Did it look like this?"
The captain glanced at the image and nodded. "Yeah, that's it."
Kakashi's head tilted slightly, his curiosity piqued. "A dog in space?"
Maria's voice was steady, but there was a hint of sadness in it. "It's likely Cosmo, a Labrador bred in the Soviet Union on Earth. In 1966, they suited her up in an astronaut outfit, put her in a rocket, and sent her into space as a test for their space program. They never planned to bring her back. They meant for her to die out there."
Kakashi's expression shifted, the curiosity in his eye replaced by something colder. The air around him seemed to hum with a faint, energy. "Humans don't fail to amaze me with their cruelty…" he muttered, his voice low, barely containing the anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.
He turned to the captain, his gaze piercing. "What happened to the dog?"
The man shrank back, fear etched into every line of his face. "We don't know. It is likely in the collector's museum of it's still alive. But the Collector… he's known to experiment on exotic species—"
Before the captain could finish, a blaze of blue chakra erupted around Kakashi. His eyes glowed red, the Sharingan spinning ominously. In a flash, a kunai appeared in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, it lodged in the captain's neck. The man gasped, blood spurting as he collapsed, dead before he hit the floor.
Everyone fell silent, the Asgardian crew and Maria staring in shock. Sif stiffened, her hand instinctively moving to her sword, but she froze as Kakashi's gaze turned to her. His voice was low, unyielding. "We're going to Knowhere."
Sif's jaw tightened. "We have a mission to find Prince Loki—"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "I wasn't asking. I'm ordering you. We're going to this Collector in Knowhere and saving Cosmo."
Sif hesitated. Finally after some thinking, She gave a reluctant nod, her voice tight. "Fine. We go to Knowhere."
------Author Notes---------
Do check out my new novel.
Naruto: The Eraserhead of Suna.
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